Travel: Beyond the beach this spring break

Forget the crowded beaches and overpriced resorts.

Spring break doesn’t require a plane ticket or a weeklong itinerary.

The following three destinations — a purpose-built Roman Catholic town in southwest Florida, a historic railroad town in Colorado and a lively college city in the heart of Missouri — are places you can reach by car for a last-minute getaway.

Ave Maria and Naples, Florida

Most travelers heading to southwest Florida think of beaches and golf. But about 35 miles inland from Naples is the town of Ave Maria.

Built in the early 2000s around Ave Maria University, the master-planned community was envisioned as a Catholic university town in the mold of historic European college cities.

At the center of the town — literally and figuratively — is Ave Maria Roman Catholic Church. Its architecture is unmistakably modern but clearly inspired by older church traditions. The building blends Romanesque and Gothic influences with contemporary materials, creating a basilica-like silhouette that feels both familiar and new.

The facade’s relief features a monumental marble sculpture of the Annunciation by Hungarian sculptor Marton Varo. It depicts the Archangel Gabriel telling the Virgin Mary that she would bear the Son of God.

Beyond the church, the town center includes cafes, restaurants and small shops arranged around a walkable square. It’s quiet and intentionally old-fashioned in its layout — the sort of place where children ride bikes to school and neighbors gather for festivals on the piazza.

Durango, Colorado

The mountain town of Durango in southwestern Colorado feels like a place where the Old West never quite disappeared.

Founded in 1880 as a railroad hub for nearby mining districts, it developed along the Animas River in the shadow of the San Juan Mountains.

Today its downtown is lined with Victorian-era buildings housing restaurants, galleries and other stops. Many of the buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Durango’s most famous attraction is the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a steam-powered train that still runs through the mountains much as it did during the mining era. Daily trains resume in early May.

The journey follows the Animas River through narrow canyons and dense forests on its way to the old mining town of Silverton.

The surrounding San Juan National Forest offers hiking, biking and fishing, while nearby Mesa Verde National Park preserves remarkable cliff dwellings built by the Ancestral Puebloans centuries ago.

Columbia, Missouri

Columbia is the kind of place that often surprises first-time visitors.

Located about halfway between St. Louis on the Mississippi River and Kansas City on Missouri’s border with Kansas, Columbia sits just a few miles from the Missouri River.

The University of Missouri (or Mizzou), founded in 1839, shapes the character of the city. Its historic Francis Quadrangle, anchored by the iconic Columns and Jesse Hall, makes for a perfect Instagram photo. Keep an eye out for the granite obelisk that was once Thomas Jefferson’s gravestone.

In addition to the state’s flagship university, Columbia has two other colleges: the all-women’s Stephens College and the fittingly named Columbia College, which has a historic affiliation with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). At Stephens, the campus chapel was designed by acclaimed architect Eero Saarinen.

Festivals, concerts and author events happen throughout the year. The downtown, located a couple of blocks from Mizzou, is extremely walkable with galleries, shops and an impressive collection of public art generated through a city program in operation since 2010. 

In short, Columbia works just as well for visitors as it does for students.

Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post